Summer of '93 - Stozier

8

Richie Tozier had never felt more at peace than he did at this moment. Laying in a field with his hands behind his head, the sweet smell of flowers surrounding him, his best friend beside him as they sat in a comfortable silence, watching as the pale orange clouds gilded over the pink sunset sky.

It was Stan who broke the silence. "Rich?" He spoke softly.

Richie turned his head to the side and looked at Stanley. "Hm?"

"I have to tell you something.." Stan turned his body to face richie, his hand resting on the side of his head.

"What is it?" Richie asked, watching as Stan began to fidget with a blade of grass.

"I broke up with.." Stan cleared his throat and quickly muttered "Patricia."

"What? Why?" Richie tried and failed, for the most part, to keep his voice from sounding happy.

"I realised that um.." Stan looked away from the blade of grass he was fidgeting with and up at Richies. "That I liked someone else.. Well- I say liked but..- I realised that i'm in love with someone else.."

Richies heart sank. "Oh." He whispered.

"I realised that.." Stanley continued, gazing deeply into Richies eyes. "That i'm in love with my best friend.. That i'm in love with you.."

"Stan-"

It was a horrible sound that cut Richie off, a sickening wet squelch of tearing flesh, the crack of bones breaking as an ivory black talon pierced through Stans abdomen.

Blood splattered from Stans mouth onto Richies face, blood pooling around the wound and onto the grass, the sickeningly warm liquid creating a puddle around them.

"Richie-" Stan choked out, looking down at the thing sticking out of his stomach and then back up at Richie.

He heard it more than he saw It. His glasses covered in blood. The sinister laugh of the clown that taunted his thirteen year old self and the same clown that haunted his nightmares.

His brain finally catching up with what was happening, Richie let out an ear piercing scream. It was the only thing he could do, frozen in shock.

Maggie burst into her sons room at the sound. Out of all the things to be woken up from, hearing her son screaming as if he was being murdered at three in the morning was not what she was expecting. She rushed over to Richies bed, Wentworth entering the room a moment later and clicking on the light.

Richie was still screaming. He was thrashing about in his bed, trapped in the covers. He was crying. His face and pillow were soaked with tears as was the collar of his nightshirt.

"Richie!" Maggie shook him gently.

Richie still screamed and thrashed.

"What's happening? Is he okay?" Went asked.

"No hes not okay! What the fuck do you think?" Maggie yelled, wrapping her arms around Richie to keep his flailing arms from moving. "Richie! Baby, wake up! Its only a nightmare! Its okay! Moms here, you're okay, sweetheart, wake up!"

Richies eyes opened. He was confused and panicked. Still screaming, he tried to get away from whoever was holding him.

"Richie! Honey, you're okay! You're safe! You're in your bedroom, calm down, its okay!" Maggie spoke loudly but softly, trying to calm her son. "Went, go get him some water!"

Went rushed out of the room to get the water.

"The clown!" Richie cried. "The blood! Its everywhere! Help me!"

"Richie, honey, its me! Its mom! You're okay! It was just a nightmare! Theres no clown or blood! Calm down!" Maggie held tightly onto Richie as he struggled to get away.

After a few more minutes, Richie was calm enough to hear what he was being told. "Mom?" He cried in a panicked tone.

"Yes, Honey, I'm here, its okay!" Maggie shushed him as his dad came into his room with a glass of water and handed it to him.

His hands shaking, his throat dry and his voice hoarse from screaming, Richie drank the full glass in the one go.

"You okay, bud?" Went asked, standing awkwardly with his hands on his hips.

"I.." Richie looked around the room. A little disoriented and dizzy, his eyes blurry from tears and poor vision, he nodded slightly. He nodded again, more confidently this time, just to assure them, even though he was far from okay.

His dad went back to bed after ten minutes but his mom insisted on staying until he fell asleep. She laid there raking her fingers through his hair, occasionally humming a tune to a lullaby.

Even though no one could see this, Richie was embarrassed. He'd worried his parents over nothing and now his mother wouldn't leave until he was asleep. He was seventeen years old, for christ sake!

If I had to sum you up in one word, i'd say pathetic would be a nice fit. He thought to himself.

After another fifteen minutes, he had persuaded his mom to go back to bed, telling her that he was fine.

Hesitantly, she left his room, kissing his forehead- which was, again, embarrassing, and switching off the light. The sun was starting to rise so it didn't really do much anyway.

Richie didn't sleep for the rest of the night. He stared up at the ceiling with his nightmare replaying in his head, tears silently running down his face.

His nightmares may not be the same reoccurring one anymore but he'd much rather have that than the ones he was having recently.

This one was by far the worst.